Automatic taximeter control



May 15, 1934.

H. W. BAKER AUTOMATIC TAXIMETER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Dec. 30, 1930 INVENTOR Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES AUTOIVIATIC TAXIMETER CONTROL MECHANISM Hastings W. Baker, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Ohmer Fare Register Company, Dayton, Ohio Application December 30, 1930, Serial No. 505,641

8 Claims.

The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the flag shaft of a taximeter will be automatically thrown into recording position by the passenger entering the cab. Heretofore 5. considerable trouble has been experienced by cab drivers intentionally or unintentionally failing to move the flag of a taximeter so that the taximeter will record when carrying a passenger. It is, therefore, desirable to have means which will automatically throw the flag shaft of the taximeter into position so that the taximeter will operate when the cab is engaged.

Another object of the invention is to provide means which will in nowise interfere with the cab driver throwing the flag into its 90 degree or operative position in case the automatic means should fail to function. The driver should never be relieved from the responsibility of seeing that the taximeter flag is thrown in case the automatic 20' means should be out of working order or for any reason should fail to function.

In the drawing I have shown in Figure l a conventional taxicab having my improved construction incorporated thereon.

Figure 2 shows the back side of a conventional taximeter having my invention incorporated thereon.

Figure 3 is a side elevational View of the back of a taximeter having my invention incorporated thereon. I

Figure 4 is an inside view of the back of the taximeter showing my invention and Figure is an enlarged detailed View of the means to prevent the flag being returned to its home position. 7

By way of illustration I have shown my invention as incorporated in a conventional taximeter such as is shown, for instance, in the patent granted to Julius Gluck 1,762,862, patented June 10, 1930, in which the home position or the vacant position of the flag is directly above the flag shaft or in the position shown in the drawing in this application. Its hired position is with the flag rotated substantially 90 degrees anti-clockwise as shown in Figure 2 or clockwise as shown in Figure 4. Its non-recording position is directly beneath the flag shaft, which position is reached by the flag being rotated 180 degrees in the directions above mentioned. This non-recording position is used when the cab is detained by a prolonged Wait which should not be charged to the passenger, such as a tire blow-out. The flag is returned to its vacant position or home position by continuing the rotation to the position shown in Figure 1.

In the drawing the taxicab 1 is provided with a taximeter 2 having a back plate 3. The taximeter will be driven by a conventional means as shown in the above mentioned patent. In the said patent there are two driving means, one from the clock and one from a moving part of the'vehicle such as the front Wheel or the transmission. Both of these driving means are controlled by the position of the flag shaft. If, therefore, the flag shaft is in its home position the taximeter will not record fares but if it is thrown to its 90 degree position it will be record fares, which fares will be the sum charged for both waiting time and the distance driven. The throwing of the flag from its vacant position to its recording position also registers that an initial fare has been charged. For instance, the fares in New York city are 15 for the first mile and 54? for each additional mile. The passenger is therefore charged 10 as an initial charge over and above what the taximeter would usually record for the charge computed on the distance traveled plus the waiting time. If, therefore, the flag is moved from its vacant position to its recording position the initial fare will be registered and the taximeter will be thrown into position whereby it will be operated. The floor board 4 of the taxicab is provided with a hinge 5 to which is attached a floor board 6 in line with the door '7 and a spring 8 is interposed between the hinged floor board 6 and a fixed abutment 9 carried by the forward floor board 10 of the taxicab. which spring tends to hold the hinged floor board .6 in its elevated position as shown in Figure 1. The hinged floor board is provided with an extension or arm 11 to which is attached a pull rod 12 provided with an arm 13 and slide 14. The slide 14 is guided by guide rails 15. The slide 14 is provided with an ear is which carries a pivot bolt 17 on which is mounted a bell crank lever 18 having a lower arm 19 which is normally pressed outwardly by means of a spring 20. A lug 38 may be used to limit the upward movement of the arm 19. The lever 18 normally rests directly above a lever 21 secured to the flag shaft 22 to which is also secured the flag 23. The flag 23 is positioned outwardly beyond the lever 21.

The arm 13 is provided with a hole 24 through which passes a pull member 25 provided with a button 26 below the arm 13 so that as the arm 13 moves downwardly it will engage the button 26 and pull the pull member 25 which passes over a guide roller 27 mounted on the inside of the back 3. The pull member 25 is connected to a bell crank lever 28 pivoted on a pin 29 carried by an arm 30 secured to the back 3 of the taximeter which bell crank lever is provided with a forwardly extending arm 31 which engages the inner end of a stop bolt 32 which extends through the back 3 of the taximeter. The stop bolt 32 is provided with a pin 33 and between the pin 33 and the back 3 is a spring 34 which tends to move the stop bolt 32 inwardly and thereby rotate the bell crank lever 28 clockwise as viewed in Figure 5 and pull the button 26 upwardly.

When the passenger steps on the floor board,6

the pull rod 12 is pulled downwardly carryingthe slide 14 so that the bell crank lever 18 will pull downwardly on the lever 21 and thereby rotate the flag shaft 22. When thearm 11 strikes the forward fioor board the lever 21 has been rotated approximately 90 degrees. As the pull member 12 moves downwardly it likewise moves the arm 13 downwardly so that just prior to the time that the arm 11 engages the floor board 10 the arm 13 engages the button 26 and pulls the pull member downwardly rotating the bell crank lever 28 anticlockwise as viewed in Figure 5 and projecting the pin 32 outwardly. The flag shaft has thus been thrown to recording position. If, however,

the mechanism failed to work there would be nothing to prevent the operator from engaging the flag and manually throwing it to its recording position. Furthermore, there is nothing to prevent the operator moving the flag from its 90 degree or recording position to its 180 degree or nonrecording position but he cannot move it beyond that point for the lever 21 will. engage the stop member 32 so that the operator cannot return the flag by continuing its rotation to its homeposition. Furthermore, as shown in the said patent, the flag shaft 22 is provided with a disk 36 provided with ratchet teeth 35 which extend for approximately 90 degrees of the circumference of the disk 36 and which teeth are engaged by aspring pressed pawl 37 so that the flag shaft cannot be rotated in a reverse direction from its 90 degree position to its home position. There is, therefore, nothing to prevent the driver from moving the flag from. its 90 degree position to its 180 degree position or from its 180 degree position back to its 90 degree position but he can not rotate it from its 90 degree position directly to its home positionand he cannot rotate it when the cab is occupied beyond its 180 degree position. When the passenger gets out the spring 8 moves the pull rod 12 and slide 14 into their upper positions and raises the arm 13 out of'engagement with the button 26 so that the spring, 34 retracts the stop bolt 32 so that the cab Having now described my invention I claim:

1. In combination, a taximeter cam shaft of the one way type, means actuated by the weight of the passenger to move said shaft into operative position, and means to prevent said shaft from being returned to normal position while the cab is occupied.

2. In combination with a cab, a controlling shaft of a taximeter having vacant, non-registering, and operative positions, automatic means to rotate said shaft to its operative position, manual means whereby'said shaft may be rotated to its non-registering position, and means to prevent said shaft from being rotated to its vacant position when the cab is occupied.

3. In combination with a cab, a controlling shaft of a taximeter having vacant, non-registering, and operative positions, means whereby said controlling shaft may be rotated into either its registering or non-registering positions, and meansflto prevent said shaft from being rotated beyond its registering position into its vacant position while the cab is occupied.

4. In combination, a pull member, means whereby said pull member is automatically operated, a cam shaft of a taximeter, a slide operated by said pull member, means whereby when said slide is operated in one-direction, said shaft will be rotated into operative position and a movable stop controlled by said pull member to prevent the rotation of said cam shaftto its initial position. as long as said pull member is in its operated position.

5. In combination, a pull member, means whereby said pull member is automatically operated, a cam shaft of a taximeter, a slide operated by said pull member, a lever connected to said shaft, means whereby said slide operates said lever to actuate said shaft and a movable stop controlled by said pull member so as to prevent said shaft being moved into its initial position as long as said slide is held in its operated positionby said pull member.

6. In combination with a weight controlled part of a taxicab, a pull rod connected to said weight controlled part and adapted to be moved by the weight of a passenger, a taximeter flag shaft, means whereby said flag shaft is automatically rotated to operative position when said pull; rod is actuated, a bolt, and means connecting said bolt to said pull rod. so that it will be projected into the path of movement of said flag shaft when the pull rod is operated byv the weight of the passenger.

'7. In combination, a cam shaft of a taximeter arranged for rotation through a complete revolution, means to rotate said shaft in one direction automatically to hired position, means to prevent said shaft from being rotated reversely to its initial position, and means under the control of said first-named means to prevent said shaft from being rotated to its initial position in the same direction as its initial movement.

8. In combination, a taximeter cam shaft, a lever secured to said shaft, a pull member, means controlled by said pull member to rotate said shaft from vacant position to registering position, a stop member, and a connection between said pull member and stop. member whereby the stop member is moved into the path of movement of said lever.

HASTINGS W. BAKER. 

